Device for automatically starting and stopping internal combustion engines in cold weather



July 11, 1961 A. BOUCHER 2,992,335

DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY STARTING AND STOPPING INTERNAL COMBUSTIONENGINES IN COLD WEATHER Filed Feb. 8, 1960 IOI/EIQ/OI" flizfalz Z0auche/ United States Patent 2,992,335 DEVICE FOR AUTO ATICALLY STARTINGAND STOPPIWG INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES IN COLD WEATHER Antonio'Boucher, Lac Megantic, Quebec, Canada Filed Feb. 8, 1960, Ser. No.7,246 6 Claims. (Cl. 290-38) The present invention relates to a devicefor automatically starting and stopping internal combustion engines incold weather, more particularly, engines of motor vehicles.

The general object of the present invention is the provision of a devicewhich automatically starts an internal combustion engine when it hasattained a minimum temperature, in order that the engine may heat up toa maximum temperature whereupon it automatically stops and remainsnon-operative until it again reaches the minimum temperature, the cyclebeing repeated during all the period of non use of the engine.

An important object of the present invention is the provision of adevice of the character described in which intermittent action of thestarter is obtained and also the number of successive starting attemptsin case of non starting is limited in order to prevent undue drainage ofthe battery.

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision in a deviceof the character described of means to automatically cut off the starterwhen the engine starts.

Still another important object of the present invention is the provisionof a device of the character described, of simple construction and smalldimensions and which can be used for different makes of engines, all theconnections thereto being flexible and consisting of electrical wiresand of tubing.

In accordance with the present invention, a heat responsive switch inthermal or heat conducting contact with the engine, closes a circuitwhen the engine has attained a minimum temperature. This circuit isconnected to the starter of the motor vehicle and is alternativelyopened and closed at intervals of a few seconds in order to obtainsuccessive starting attempts, each of relatively short duration. Thedevice further comprises a vacuum operated diaphragm switch which opensthe circuit to the starter upon starting of the engine. A timing deviceis also operated which stops the operation of the device and thesuccessive starting attempts should the engine fail to start after apredetermined number of attempts. Means are also incorporated forconnecting the electric heater and defroster of the motor vehicle whenthe engine has started.

The foregoing and other important objects of the present invention willbecome more apparent during the following disclosure and by referring tothe drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational, somewhat schematic view, partly in section,of the device of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view thereof; and

FIGURE 3 is a detail of a portion of the device.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which like referencecharacters indicate like elements throughout, reference numeral 1indicates a bimetal switch which is adapted to be disposed in thermalcontact with the internal combustion engine to be controlled, such asthe engine of a motor vehicle. For instance switch 1 may be inserted inthe liquid cooling system. Switch 1 is connected in series by wire 2 toone pole of the motor vehicle battery 3, the other terminal of which isconnected by wire 4 to ground 5. The other pole of switch 1 is connectedby wire 6 to switch arm 7, which is freely pivoted on a shaft 8 securedto support plate 9. The free end of arm 7 is adapted to abut a fixedcontact 10 supported on plate 9 and electrically insulated therefrom.Fixed contact 10 is connected to wire 11, in turn connected to amanually operated switch 12 disposed .for instance on the dash board ofthe motor vehicle and accessible to the driver. Switch 12 is connectedin turn to wire 13 to which are connected wires 14, 15, and 16. Wire 14goes to the induction coil (not shown) of the motor vehicle. Wire 15 isconnected to a movable contact disk 17 adapted to abut fixed contact 18to supply electricity by means of wire 19 to a small electric motorhoused in a housing 20 and including gearing to impart an oscillatingmotion to output shaft 42 issuing from housing 20. The other terminal ofthe electric motor in housing 20 is connected by wire 21 to ground 22.

Wire 16 is connected to a fixed contact 23- which movable contact 24 isadapted to abut. Movable contact 24 is mounted at the free lower end ofa resilient blade 25 fixed at its upper end 216 to the support plate 9and electrically insulated therefrom. End 26 is connected by wire 27 toa contact arm 28 pivoted at 29 to the support plate and insulatedtherefrom and having its free end adapted to abut fixed contact 30 whichis connected by wire 31 to the starter of the engine.

A vacuum operated device comprising a housing 32 provided with aflexible diaphragm 33 is connected by flexible tubing 61 to the intakemanifold of the engine to be controlled. The upper end of a plunger rod34 is attached to diaphragm 33. Said plunger rod 34 is pivotallyconnected to and supports a cranked lever 35 by means of yoke 36 securedto rod 34. The end of cranked lever 35 is pivotally mounted on a studshaft 37 secured to support plate 9. An electrically insulated contact38 is also supported by stud shaft 37 and is connected by wire 39 to theelectric heater and/or defroster of the motor vehicle.

Contact 38 is adapted to make contact with the free end of arm 28 whenthe latter is in raised position under the action of the spirally woundspring 40, the inner end of which is attached to pivot 29 or plate 9 andthe outer end of which is attached at 41 to contact arm 28.

The output shaft 42 of the motor unit 20 drives anoscillatable arm 43,the upper free end of which is pivotally connected to the lateral pivotextension 44 of a pawl member 45 in the form of an elongated frame, thepawl end 46 of which is engageable with the ratchet teeth of a ratchetwheel 47 which is mounted for free rotation on shaft 8 between supportplate 9 and crank shape support arm 48 which supports the free end ofshaft 8.

An hexagonal cam 49 is secured to ratchet wheel 47 and is concentrictherewith; its edge faces are adapted to contact the resilient blade 45so as to alternately move the same in an out of contact with fixedcontact 23 under rotation of ratchet wheel 47. Thus contacts 23, 24 and25 form an intermittently operated switch.

An abutment block 50 is secured laterally on the ratchet wheel 47 andabuts a stop finger 51 in the initial position of the ratchet wheel 47,and is adapted to abut arm 7 and lift the same out of contact with fixedterminal 10 when the ratchet wheel 47 is rotated in anticlockwisedirection as seen by the arrow in FIGURE 1. Stop finger 51 projectsupwardly from support member 48. A crank shaped guard 52 guides the pawlmember 45 at its J pawl end 46 and is rigidly secured to the supportplate 9 by lateral extension 53.

A holding pawl 54 is freely pivoted on the output shaft 42 intermediateits ends and has its end 55 engageable with the ratchet teeth of theratchet wheel 47 to prevent clockwise rotation of the latter. The otherend 56 of holding pawl 54 engages through a loop or eye 58 formed ininverted L-shaped suspension rod 59, the lateral upper portion of whichis attached to plunger rod 34. Holding pawl 54 has a'branch 57 which isconnected by a tension spring 60 to contact arm 7 in order to urge thelatter against fixed contact'ltl. Spring 69 also urges holding pawl 54with its end 55 in engagement with the teeth of ratchet wheel 47. Spring60 finally urges downward movement of plunger rod 34 and L-shape rod559, so that contact disk 17 abuts fixed contact 18.

Contact disk 17 is provided with a semi-circular handle 64 freelypassing through eye 63 formed at the lower end of L-shape rod 59.

When holding pawl '54 is out of contact with ratchet wheel 47, thelatter is rotated into its initial position wherein block 50 abutsabutment finger 51 under action of spiral spring 62, more particularlyshown in FTGURE 3, the inner end of which is secured to shaft 8 and theouter end of which is secured to the ratchet wheel 47.

The device of the invention operates as follows: As previouslymentioned, contacts -1 of the bi-metal heat responsive switch in thermalrelation with the engine of the motor vehicle, are normally opened whenthe engine is above a predetermined minimum temperature. The enginebeing stopped, it gradually decreases in tempera ture until it reachessaid minimum temperature in cold weather, whereupon contacts 1 closeand, manual switch 12 having been previously closed by the driver, thefollowing circuits are completed on the element being in the restposition shown in FIGURE 1:

(a) GroundS, wire 4, battery 3, wire 2, bi-metal switch 1, wire 6, arm'7, contact 1!), wire 11, switch 12, wires 13 and 14 to the inductioncoil of the engine;

(b) wire 16, contacts 23, 24, blade 25', wire 27, contact arm 28,contact 31 wire 31 to the starter of the engine;

wire 15, contacts 17, 18, wire 19, electric motor 20, wire 21 and ground22. Circuits a, b form the main or starter circuit while circuit 0 is asecondary circuit for operating the timing means.

Upon closing of bi-metal switch 1 the starter is operated. However,motor unit is also started whereby arm 43 is oscillated between thepositions shown in dotted lines and in full lines in FIGURE 1, wherebypawl end 46 engages another tooth of ratchet wheel 47 and rotates thelatter until an edge of cam 49 engages blade thereby opening contacts24, 23, as shown in FIGURE 3. Thus, the circuit to the starter of theengine is opened and the starter is stopped until contacts 23, 24 againclose due to continued rotation of ratchet wheel 47 under action ofelectric motor unit 20. Successive intermittent attempts at starting theengine are thus obtained.

If the engine fails to start after, for example, four or five attempts,block 50 lifts contact arm 7 out of engagement with fixed contact illthereby opening the main circuit and the starting operation isdiscontinued. The ratchet wheel is maintained in its limit positionunder action of holding pawl 54. Similarly, holding pawl '54 preventsclockwise rotation of the ratchet wheel 47 at every starting attempt.

When the engine starts anytime during the starting cycle, vacuum isproduced within diaphragm assembly 32 and 33 whereby plunger rod 34 islifted; this raises disk .17 which opens the circuit tothe electricmotor unit 20. Thus, further rotation of wheel 47 is stopped. Also,crank lever 35 is raised and lifts pawl member out of engagement withratchet wheel 47. Furthermore, holding pawl 54 is pivoted in clockwisedirection out of engagement with the ratchet wheel -47 whereby thelatter is now free to rotate back to its initial position under theaction of its spiral spring 62. Finally, contact arm 28 which was heldin lowered position in abutment with contact 30 by rod 59 against theaction of spiral spring 40 is now allowed to pivot upwardly therebyopening the circuit to the starter of the engine and to engage upperfixed contact 38 thereby closing the electrical circuit to the heater ofthe motor vehicle. Contact arm 28 is maintained in engagement withcontact 38 under action of its spiral spring 4%, thus the windshielddefroster or heater of the vehicle is allowed to operate during the timethe engine is running. The latter heats up until it attains the maximumset temperature upon which contacts 1 open cutting oil the circuit tothe induction coil. The engine stops, diaphragm 33 and plunger rod 34drop into their lowermost position whereby all the elements assume theirinitial position as shown in FIGURE 1. The starting cycle is started allover again when the engine again cools down to the minimum settemperature.

Obviously, the shape of the cam 49 and the number of teeth of ratchetwheel 47 may be varied in accordance with the number of startingattempts desired and in accordance with the time interval desiredbetween successive starting attempts.

While a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present inventionhas been illustrated and described, it is understood that variousmodifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A temperature responsive device for starting and stopping, in coldweather, an internal combustion engine having an electric starter inorder to maintain said engine above a predetermined minimum temperature,comprising a main electrical circuit consisting of the followingelements connected in series: a heat responsive switch in thermalcontact with the engine and having a terminal adapted to be connected toa power supply, an intermittently operated switch and a first vacuumoperated switch having a terminal for connection to the starter of theengine; a secondary circuit including a second vacuum operated switchand motor means; and timing means operated by said motor means forintermittently opening and closing said intermittently ope-rated switchto thereby effect successive actuations of said starter upon closing ofsaid heat responsive switch, said vacuum operated switches beingconnected to a source of vacuum of the engine and opening said main andsecondary circuits upon starting of the engine.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said main circuit furtherincludes a time delay switch connected in series therein, and operatedby said timing means after a predetermined delay for opening said mainand secondary circuits after .a predetermined numberot successiveactuations of said starter.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said timing means include aratchet wheel, a spring urging said wheel into an initial position, apawl member operated by said motor means for rotating said ratchet wheelagainst saidspring in a step by step manner, and a cam rotating withsaid ratchet wheel and engaging said intermittently operated switch forsuccessively opening and closing the latter upon step by step rotationof said ratchet wheel.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, further including a holding pawl toprevent rotation of said ratchet wheel under the action of said spring,said holding pawl operable to release said ratchet wheel upon actuationof said vacuum operated switches whereby said wheel may return to itsinitial position.

5. A device asclaimed in claim 4, wherein said ratchet wheel hasabutment means mountedthereon engageable with said time delay switchwhen said wheel reaches an end limit position-to cause opening of saidtime delay switch.

5 6 Q "7 I 6. A device as claimed in claim 5, further includingReferences Cited in the file of this patent an operator for said vacuumoperated switches and UNITED STATES PATENTS means connected to andoperable by said operator for moving said pawl member out of engagementwith said u ratchet wheel uPl1 Said 'vawum 5 2 274 564 RiChaI'dSOl;:::::::::::: Feb. 24 1942 swiwhes- 2,698,391 Braden et a1. Dec. 28,1954

